In How to Make a Patent for an Idea: Survive the Invention Process, Help Humanity, and Make a Ton of Money, Herb Uhl, a practical inventor renowned for creating the first two-wheeled ATV, delivers an indispensable guide for aspiring inventors. At 95 years old, Uhl’s wealth of experience and passion for innovation shine through every page, making this #1 New Release book stand out in patenting and product development literature.
A Comprehensive Guide with a Unique Perspective
Its comprehensive and realistic approach sets Uhl’s book apart from others on the same topic. Uhl thoroughly explores various strategies for developing product ideas and engaging in advanced thinking processes. He helps readers determine whether the patent process suits their invention, offering the valuable insight that patenting isn’t always the best route. Instead, he introduces the option of bypassing the patent route to go straight to manufacturing and marketing. This approach emphasizes working smarter, not harder, to achieve financial success.
Encouraging Innovation and Overcoming Fear
One of the most inspiring aspects of Uhl’s book is his unwavering belief that everyone has a million-dollar idea capable of benefiting society. He urges readers not to let fear or self-doubt prevent them from sharing their ideas. Instead, he encourages proactive participation in the evolutionary process of innovation, emphasizing the importance of every idea as a link to future progress. Uhl’s motivational tone is infectious, instilling confidence and possibility in his readers.
Overcoming Subconscious Hurdles
Uhl’s straightforward writing style makes complex concepts accessible, ensuring readers can follow along without feeling overwhelmed. He addresses the subconscious hurdles that often prevent people from pursuing their inventive ideas, offering practical advice on building confidence and taking decisive action.
The Risks and Rewards of Patenting
While Uhl advocates protecting intellectual property, he also cautions inventors about potential pitfalls. He discusses how the patent process can sometimes backfire, leading to complications that may deter or financially burden inventors. Furthermore, he warns against the risks associated with bank financing and partnerships with organizations like the Small Business Administration (SBA), which may not always have the inventor’s best interests at heart.
The Revised Poor Man’s Patent
For those operating on a tight budget, Uhl introduces a revised version of the “poor man’s patent.” This method provides a cost-effective way for inventors to safeguard their ideas while they test the market.
Practical Advice for Market Success
Drawing from his extensive experience, Uhl shares valuable insights into successfully bringing a product to market. He emphasizes the importance of product sizing for optimal shelf display and efficient shipping and highlights the benefits of utilizing free packaging materials, reducing costs, and enhancing profitability.
Cautionary Tales and Actionable Advice
Uhl’s extensive experience is evident as he shares cautionary tales that cover all aspects of idea promotion, patenting, manufacturing, funding, and partnering. These stories serve as warnings and lessons, guiding readers through potential pitfalls with actionable advice. Uhl’s guidance is practical and grounded, making complex processes understandable and manageable for readers at any stage of their invention journey.
Experience the Fulfillment of Innovation
How to Make a Patent for an Idea is more than just a guide to the patenting process; it’s an invitation to experience the exhilaration and fulfillment of bringing an idea to market. Uhl’s wisdom, accumulated over a lifetime of inventing and repurposing, allows readers to significantly impact the world while achieving personal satisfaction and financial rewards. His concise, no-nonsense delivery ensures that readers can quickly grasp and apply the concepts, making this book a practical manual for anyone looking to successfully navigate the world of invention.
A Brief, No-Filler Approach
Uhl’s delivery is brief and to the point, stripping away unnecessary filler to focus on essential information. This approach ensures that readers can quickly grasp and apply the concepts, making the book a practical manual for inventors at any stage of their journey.
Conclusion
Herb Uhl’s How to Make a Patent for an Idea is a must-read for aspiring inventors. It combines practical advice with motivational guidance, making it an invaluable resource for those looking to turn their ideas into reality. Uhl’s passion for innovation and belief in every idea’s potential make this book an inspiring and practical tool for achieving success in the invention process. Whether you are a seasoned inventor or just starting, Uhl’s insights will help you navigate the complexities of patenting, manufacturing, and marketing your product, ultimately leading to personal and financial fulfillment.
Author Inventor Herb Uhl
Author: Herb Uhl
Herb Uhl, who pre-designed the Honda Trail 50 and is credited as the inventor of the two-wheeled ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle), has significantly impacted the motorcycle industry. His modification of Honda Cubs laid the groundwork for trail bikes, three-wheelers, and ATVs. Uhl’s “Smaller Adult Motorcycles: Long Awaited New Market Segment” proposes high-end motorcycles for shorter riders seeking quality rides. He taps into an untapped market segment, addressing motorcycle ergonomics for men and women of shorter stature 1.
Additionally, Uhl shares his story of creating the Honda Trail motorcycle, a pivotal moment in motorcycle industry history 2. His influence extends beyond inventions; it shapes how we ride today 3.
In summary, the book and Herb Uhl’s contributions offer valuable insights into patenting and motorcycle innovation. Whether you’re an inventor or a motorcycle enthusiast, their work is worth exploring.
In the annals of motorcycle history, few stories are as compelling as that of Herb Uhl, a visionary innovator from Boise, Idaho. Uhl’s story is a testament to the power of seeing potential innovation in an existing design and the transformative effects such vision can have on an industry1.
The Beginning
Herb Uhl was the first importer of a Honda motorcycle of any kind into the United States1. The Super Cub, known then as the C100 or CA100, was a scooter-like Honda with a pressed-steel frame powered by a 50-cc engine with a three-speed transmission and automatic clutch1. Despite its innovative design, Uhl struggled to sell the Super Cub in Boise1, Idaho because motorcycles were primarily used in the local mountains on the hundreds of trails and old mining roads in the area and seldom for city transportation because in 1960, Boise was still a small town.
The Vision
Rather than seeing the Super Cub as only a great little city transportation bike with little sales potential for locals, Uhl saw potential. He envisioned transforming the Super Cub into an all-terrain vehicle that could be used for hunting, trail riding, on the ranch, and on the open road1. This would have huge potential for the local market served by Herb Uhl’s Herco Engineering Co. dealership.
In his custom motorcycle shop, Uhl began modifying the bikes to his trail and ranch specifications1.
The Success
Uhl’s modifications were a hit. His sales escalated rapidly, culminating in a volume of Honda Cubs sold by Uhl that surpassed the combined sales of all dealers in the Los Angeles region. His success caught the attention of Honda, who visited Uhl to see what all the commotion was about1. Herb introduced them to his trail bike based on Honda’s Super Cub1. Impressed, Honda asked him for the specs and even took one of his bikes home to reverse engineer it1.
The Legacy
In no time, Honda had production models of the first motorcycle-derived ATV, and it was for sale in all Honda dealerships. The successive Trail 90 became the biggest-selling adventure bike in the world3. Despite his significant contribution, Uhl never saw a penny from his innovation1. But for Uhl, it wasn’t about the money. It was about making a contribution and making motorcycles better for the riders1. Plus, he could sell more bikes with less effort because Honda was building his design, which needed no additional modification to serve his clientele1.
According to Herb Uhl
One of my strengths is my ability to understand what the public wants in a specific product line. For instance, when I was a motorcycle dealer, I understood the customers wanted a trail bike and nothing good was available, so I made one by modifying an existing little city transportation bike, Honda’s Super Cub, transforming it into the first motorcycle-derived ATV, and that has led to a multimillion-dollar windfall for the major motorcycle manufacturers which has led to the four wheelers and side-by-sides of today.
I’m sure you remember that the Jeep was the first automotive-derived ATV and look how that has led to today’s super trucks.
Conclusion
Herb Uhl’s story10 is a powerful example of the impact a visionary can have on the world. His ability to see potential innovation in an existing design led to the creation of the Honda Trail 90, and the many ATV trail bikes, four-wheelers, side-by-sides, and adventure bikes that have followed. Uhl’s modifications transformed the motorcycle industry, and his improvements continue to be celebrated in the success of Honda’s new model trail bikes today4, 2. Visionaries like Uhl should indeed be honored for their contributions to the world1.
Note: During Uhl’s time in the motorcycle industry, his store was associated with 30 different motorcycle brands from 9 different countries in order to satisfy his customers’ desires.
Given that Honda and Yamaha’s earliest attempts at racing machinery were designed to be used on the rugged dirt-surfaced courses in Japan like Asama Mountain, they were off-roaders as much as road racleers – street scramblers, if you like, and often shod with knobby tires.
The German Adler Cross scrambler may or may not have provided the inspiration for the Honda RC70 – it depends who you ask. This particular restoration belongs to Dutch spare parts company, CMS. Photography by CMS
It was not until the early ‘60s that the designs became slightly more refined (coincidentally with the increased popularity of motocross in Japan as a result of Australian Tim Gibbes’ Racing Schools conducted there from 1963). But back in 1957, what Honda offered the budding racer was what the factory termed the RC70F, a 250cc twin using the C70 (and later C71) engine, which had the “rotary” gear box favored by several of the Japanese manufacturers. This had first gear at the bottom of the shift pattern, followed by neutral, followed (if the rider kept pressing downwards) top gear and so on.
The RC70 was offered for sale in Japan as early as 1958, and one school of thought has it that the overall look was influenced by the German Adler Cross Scrambler. The two certainly shared many similarities, notably the long-travel leading-link front suspension and the wide cradle tubular steel frame. The frame itself is remarkably similar to the Adler. The RC70 was available with or without lighting.
Of course, the late ‘50s was also the period when Honda was keenly eyeing the U.S. market, taking the significant step of setting up their own distribution center in California-American-Honda in early 1960.
Herb Uhl Herco Engineering, Boise
However, prior to that, at least four examples of the production RC70 found their way to the USA. Two went to Herb Uhl, who had a motorcycle dealership in Boise, Idaho, and who had competed in the International Six Days Trial in Europe on two occasions, riding with his brother Bill who was an Expert-class flat track rider. Herb noted later, “I imported a couple of RC70 off-road bikes from Honda Japan in early 1959 and they had excellent leading-arm forks.
About the same time, another pair of RC70s was sent to Alan D’Alo in California. D’Alo was an amateur racer from Norwalk, California, who annually competed in the Catalina Island “Grand Prix” on an MV Agusta. The Hondas were imported ostensibly to test the market, and came with basic C70 250cc Dream engines.
Local racers were still wrestling with the left-side sift gear levers on these early Hondas, because many of the European racing bikes came with right-side shift transmission selectors. Having to remember which side of the engine to change gears with, as well as coping with the “rotary” gearbox function, was more than most riders wanted to deal with back then.
The “fix” for the RC70 riders was to commandeer engine assemblies from the 1959 CE7ts, once they were released for sale through the fledgling AHMC distributorship. The electric-start CE71 was Honda’s U.S.-spec “dream Super Sport” model, which featured a conventional return-shift transmission, a larger 24mm carburetor (vs. 22mm carburetors that were stock on Dream engines) and a horsepower upgrade due to higher compression pistons and more aggressive camshaft timing.
One of the RC70s was assigned to budding motocross rider Preston Petty, who later founded the plastic mudguard revolution that found a ready market in the booming off-road scene. Petty won several local Southern California races on the RC70F, which later had a CE7t engine fitted. As the Honda was developed, some reports say Petty trimmed off the factory-installed leading-link suspension front end and machined up a new steering head which could hold British AJS telescopic front forks and a wider, smaller 18-inch front wheel in place of the standard 2.75 x 19-inch front tire.
The RC70F varied slightly in specification during the period of its cataloged existence, some being fitted with a high-level exhaust pipe with a substantial muffler on the right-hand side, others with straight-through pipes exiting in front of the right-hand rear shock absorber, and others with low road-style pipes and muffler. There were also dry-sump versions available.
The 1960-61 pre-production Honda 250 Scrambler prototypes also came with single-carb Dream engines, but with return shift transmissions. When the 1961 CN72 Hawk, sport bikes were released, the first thing that happened to the “next generation” 250 Scrambler was again a motor transplant, but this time from a CB72, which had dual carbs, even higher compression pistons and a 10,000 rpm redline.
In fairness to Honda, they were not the only ones who offered “rotary gearboxes” to the public. Early Yamahas, the Bridgestone 175s and Litac motorcycles also had this feature for a few years, among other now-extinct manufactured models. Honda continued to offer the rotary-gearbox option of domestic 250-305cc Dreams and CYP77 Police bikes into the mid-1960s, but no other “larger” models were so equipped after that.
The Honda CT125 is back/new for 2021. Turns out Herb was onto something all those years ago.
Herb Uhl Herco Engineering Boise ID
Back in 1960, there was a Honda dealer in Boise who was selling far more Honda 50 step-thru motorcycles than a dealer nestled in the mountainous ranges of Idaho had any right to.
That man, Herb Uhl, had noticed the rugged ability of Honda’s 50 before even Honda had. (To be fair, Honda had only been in the U.S. for one year at that point.) And he had been taking The Little Bike That Could and throwing a few choice mods at it, like knobby tires, removing the leg guards, and fitting a larger rear sprocket to turn it into a trail bike.
Buyers were snapping these things up left and right, and it eventually came to the attention of Honda in California, so Herb sent one of his creations to the U.S. HQ for a bit of analysis by Honda’s Jack McCormack, then sales manager of American Honda.
It was a brilliant little machine,” McCormack said to writer Aaron Frank in his book. Honda Motorcycles. “It worked so well because it was light and with the automatic clutch, you could climb logs. To do that on a big bike, you had to have a certain amount of skill. I saw lots of possibilities for something like Herb was doing, selling it as a bike that you could go in the woods and hunt or fish with.
McCormack was so enthused about Uhl’s 50 that he sent it back to Honda’s home base in Japan demanding a production version. Honda, being the small and nimble company they once were before becoming the conglomerate they are today, obliged and created the CA100T Trail 50 for the 1961 model year.
Like the Cun/SuperCub, the ST became a motorcycle that could take you to the farthest reaches of the earth on barely the smell of an old rag. In the 60 years since the first CA100T Trail 50 landed here in the U.S., there’s only been five model updates – 1964 for the CT200 Trail 90, 1969’s CT70 Trail 70, 1981 saw the introduction of the CT110, and 2021 for the new CT125 Trail 125 ABS.
The bones of 60 years of CT’s still reside in the 125. The ride position has barely changed in 40 years.
The CT110 saw the longest model run of almost any production bike ever created and has a special place in my heart as the motorcycle the postman came to deliver our mail on each day while I was growing up in Australia.
The new version in the 125 Trail 125 ABS (silly name, I know), was first shown to the public at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show and borrows heavily from the Super Cub that was released in the U.S. that year.
The Super Cub’s two-valve, single overhead camshell, fuel-injected, 125cc single cylinder motor has been donated, although the CT gets a longer intake and a different exhaust which helps better low-end power, as well as a three-tooth larger rear sprocket, and the CT still retains the trademark heel/toe four-speed auto clutch gearshift.
The SuoerCub’s frame has been used as the blueprint for the CT’s but there’s some pretty big differences between the two.
First, the wheelbase is 0.5 inches longer at 19.4 inches, the front suspension has got 0.4 inches extra wheel travel to 4.3 inches, ground clearance is increased by 11 inches, and the seat height has been raised 0.9 inches to 31.5 inches.
The headpipe has been reinforced, there’s different handlebars with a much sharper upsweep and there are17-inch knobby tires mounted on rims with stainless steel spokes.
Disc brakes front and rear have been fitted to replace the CT110’s drum brake setup, and the gas tank gets an extra 0.4 gallons of capacity to register 1.4 gallons. Finally, there’s a step guard to protect the bottom of the motor.
Riding the CT125, it really doesn’t feel that far gone from the CT110, and that’s a good thing. This is about as unintimidating a motorcycle as you can possibly buy, with the 125cc motor good for (in my hands) a whopping 50 mpg with a downhill and a tailwind. This is a bike designed to get you to faraway places, and one made in such a way you could fix most problems with a Swiss army knife.
The power is enough that it keeps up with traffic on back roads but, like the Super Cub, don’t go taking this on any freeways unless you want to become someone’s hood ornament.
The braking performance is better than I remember from when I had my
“It’s a modern Sportsman’s best friend all the way!”
says Idaho sportsman, “Never, never… will I go hunting without my new Trail ’50’. Recently I packed out two strapping deer from Idaho’s toughest timberland and witnessed two more hunters bringing in four more – also on Trail ’50’s (one of them was a 5-point 250 lb, trophy buck). I was able to scout ten times as much hunting area as on foot, also used my ’50’ for hauling water, dragging firewood logs, and general around-camp errands.
“This year’s hunting was the best yet… thanks mainly to a little critter called a Honda Trail ’50’!”
Herb Uhl, President
Herco Engineering Co.
Boise, Idaho
Mr. Uhl’s enthusiasm is typical of the many hundreds of outdoorsmen who have purchased and hunted with a Honda Trail “50”.
Trail “50”s are sold in America by the American Honda MotorCo., Inc.
Bill Uhl, Evel Knievel and Mike Uhl prior to the Snake River jump in Twin Falls, Idaho
Print List Price: $7.00 Kindle Price: $2.99 Save $4.01 (57%)
In Smaller Adult Motorcycles: Long Awaited New Market Segment, Herb Uhl presents a compelling case for a neglected motorcycle industry segment that could double global motorcycle sales. Uhl, known for pioneering the ATV market segment with the invention of the Honda Trail 50, leverages his extensive experience and innovative mindset to highlight the untapped potential of smaller adult motorcycles.
Identifying the Market Gap
Uhl meticulously identifies a significant oversight in the current motorcycle market: the absence of a full line of quality bikes designed for individuals with an inseam of 29 inches or less, a demographic that includes most women and men of shorter stature. This segment, estimated to encompass around 60% of the population, represents a substantial portion of potential motorcycle buyers who are currently underserved.
A Vision for the Future
With a visionary approach, Uhl outlines the necessary steps to capitalize on this market opportunity. He argues that creating upscale motorcycles tailored to the ergonomic needs of shorter riders can attract a wealthy clientele eager to invest in high-quality, well-fitting bikes. This new segment would not only cater to the practical needs of these riders but also appeal to their desire for stylish and sophisticated transportation options.
Statistical Evidence and Market Demand
Uhl bolsters his argument with recent statistics, revealing that 18,550 people in the USA searched for smaller motorcycles in the past month. This data underscores manufacturers’ demand and urgency to address this market gap. Uhl’s detailed analysis and presentation of these figures make a strong case for the profitability and necessity of developing a full line of smaller adult motorcycles.
Engineering and Ergonomics
One of the standout aspects of Uhl’s proposal is his focus on motorcycle ergonomics. He emphasizes the importance of designing bikes that fit the physical dimensions of shorter riders and provides a high-end, comfortable riding experience. This attention to detail ensures that the proposed motorcycles would not be mere scaled-down versions of existing models but thoughtfully engineered vehicles that meet the specific needs of their target audience.
A Call to Action for Manufacturers
Smaller Adult Motorcycles is a call to action and a detailed blueprint for motorcycle manufacturers. Uhl’s expertise and credibility lend significant weight to his proposals, and his clear, well-supported arguments make it difficult for industry leaders to ignore the potential benefits of this new market segment. By highlighting the gap in the market and providing a roadmap to success, Uhl positions himself as a forward-thinking advocate for innovation and inclusivity in the motorcycle industry.
Conclusion
Herb Uhl’s Smaller Adult Motorcycles: Long Awaited New Market Segment is a visionary work addressing a glaring motorcycle industry omission. Uhl’s expertise and ability to present a well-reasoned and data-driven argument make this book an essential read for industry professionals and motorcycle enthusiasts alike. By focusing on the ergonomic needs and preferences of shorter riders, Uhl champions a more inclusive market and unveils a lucrative opportunity for manufacturers to expand their customer base and increase sales. This book is a testament to Uhl’s innovative spirit and enduring impact on the world of motorcycling.
Even by the time the trail 50 transition to the new trail 55, Honda still didn’t understand who the customers were for this ATV. This is a copy of the brochures we developed and had printed to give our customers an idea of the trail and ranch model’s overall usefulness.
Herb Uhl
By 1962 Honda’s literature started to catch up, but they still didn’t understand how useful these machines are on the farm and ranch.
Herb says, “Come on up to Boise where it’s reeeaaallllly happening.”
by David Swift
Dirt Rider Vol. 2 No. 11, November 1974
International Six Days Trials Garmisch, Germany, September, 1969, Herb Uhl, Dale “Punch” Deyo, Bill Uhl
All three of them have this same smile coming through this same beard. Uncanny. Three years ago at Evel Knievel’s first motocross at Twin Falls, I get three beards and three ultra-tooth grins that make a Cheshire Cat look like John Erlichman.
Bill Uhl, Pacific Coast Champion, Sidewinders TT 1969
And Sunday morning, Day Two at Bad Rock Two Days Trials, Bill Uhl lubes his chain, takes a trick four:.way wrench , unsuccessfully tries to tighten a host of nuts and bolts on his 175 Can-Am, and mumbles, “That’s what I hate about this bike, Herb-there’s never anything I have to do to it.” Grin.
Herb looks at everyone watching him. “Well, I guess someday we’ll have to do something about it.” Grin.
Later that day I’m waiting beside a highway. Bill is due by soon, gonna take me a picture. A, 550 Suzuki triple comes bumbling down the road, and it’s not Bill and it’s not Herb. It’s Mike. Haven’t seen Mike in years and we have fun letting on we both remember each other’s names, barely. Before he reassures me his name is indeed Mike, he says, “I’m the one who goes -slow.” Right away you know this is an unnecessarily touchy point. Nevertheless, grin.
It’s intrigued _ me for years now, that enigmatic Uhl grin. It’s the look of a man who knows something no one else knows, and he knows you know it.
Herb Uhl (pronounced simply “yule”) is an incarnation of a Walt Disney elf who comes bounding out of the bushes, glances suspiciously from side to side, and whispers out of the back of his hand, “Hey, I know where we can have some fun. . . .” I like to think motorcycles has a lot to do with it.
Herb Uhl has done a lot more things to affect dirt riding in general than a pixie from Boise is supposed to. More than one person has credited him with designing the original Trail 50, which Honda sent over to Japan some 15 years ago and since stamped out hordes by the boatload. Roaming through a Uhl scrapbook revealed this elegant little 80cc Suzuki flat tracker with a handmade monocoquc frame, expansion chamber, and other ahead-of-its-time features.
Last year at Trask Herb rode what once was a 185 Suzuki-Herb’s had a Sachs leading link front end and a frame butchered worse than Ake Jonsson’s Grand Prix Yamaha-and was entered in the 175 class. I asked him then if it was legal and he said, “Sure, see, the 185 cylinder is only 80 thousandths over a 175, and that makes it legal by AMA rules.”
Just the other day I point out that if the bike is sold as a 185, it can’t ever be a 175. Herb gets this oh-mygosh expression and says, with sincerity every vacuum cleaner salesman would be jealous of, “Is that right?
You mean all along I’ve . . . I don’t believe it.”
Herb, you punk, for a year you had me snowed. And I’m supposed to go around exposing people like you.
Which is why I made a special trip to Boise-to find out just why you are always wearing that maddening grin-the beard tickles, is that it, Herb? – and find out why your two kids got what you got just as bad.
When Bill was 18 and Mike 20, they had talked Evel Knievel into letting them design his first motocross course. No, it was the other way around. The job, simply, was to turn a flat cow pasture into something that wouldn’t send the nation’s top motocrossers home sniveling. No TT track. All they could rely on were rocks and trees to break up the monotony, plus the talents of a team of dump trucks to build a gigantic jump. Ah, memories linger at the old Snake River Canyon days: Jimmy Pomeroy almost launching himself over the canyon, years ahead of Evel; Barry Higgins breaking up the monotony by center-punching a rock and tree. . . . Mike and Bill (you couldn’t tell them apart because they had beards, grins, and hair down to here) were happy, hungry hippies then, living out of a tiny trailer, eating fresh vegetables and wearing overalls. When each told me the other was a very fast motorcycle racer, I thought, naw, these guys are back-to-the-land bumpkins trying to impress the Hot Zit from Cycle News. In November, 1971, I flew to Boise for an Trans-Am race, and there’s Bill and Mike again, this time one of them has cut his hair. Still can’t tell them apart. As a budding motocross purist, I am duly impressed with the Boise circuit, fast stuff, tight stuff, a water crossing, and a 450-foot downhill that even has Tim Hart sit ting at the top, rigid with fear, for 30 minutes of practice. The Europeans approve of the course, which is music to the MotoPurist’s ears. Again, the Uhls have scored while the guys in California still don’t know where it’s at. Cycle News is impressed.
Preston Petty, Herb Uhl, Bill Uhl, 1969 in Germany
Little did I know that one of them, Bill, has already gone to Europe and won a Gold Medal at the International Six Days Trial, in 1969. Herb, a distributor for Sachs, got to be part of the American team, and Bill, who was 19 at the time, will become the youngest lad to Gold the ISDT. “When Bill and I went to Germany for the Trials,” says Herb, “neither one of us had ever ridden a timed event before-just some cross-country events around Boise.” Herb was kept to a Silver because someone gave him the wrong directions-which, if you ask me, is a refreshing turn of events. In 1970 Bill was held to a Silver.
Mike Uhl, Carlsbad, 1974
That’s when everyone else on the team DNF’d, the years when everyone rode motorcycles that to this day are spoken of as Puchs but with a long “u”. Since then Bill has been on the Penton Trophy Team and finished on Gold the last three years. (What happens in Italy this year is between the time I write this and the time you read it-such are the miracles of modern communication.)
Amidst all of Herb’s and Bill’s accomplishments, one tends to think mostly of Mike, if one has any sense of fair play. Bill has a sense of fair play and is the first to offer, “Mike is a damned good racer. He was a lot faster than I was and I think today he can kick my butt if he wanted to. But he seems to be mostly interested in the shop and making it flow.” From Bad Rock I drive to the shop, Uhl’s Idaho Bike lmports, to watch it flow. I show up late Wednesday afternoon, enter the jingly-bell doors of a woodsy showroom (“this establishment condemned . . . by other dealers”), and am bombarded by every motorcycle accessory in the whole wide world. Counters, displays, pegboards, everything-it’s an Encounter Group session with every dirt bike doo-dad you’ve ever dreamt of owning. And in the midst of it all are the three bearded grins.
International Six Days Trials, Garmisch, Germany 1969 Poster
Outside the shop, Mike’s Suzuki is loaded with some things. He’s going on a bike trip, take a vacation, now that Bill is done with the Six Days Qualifier thing and can mind the store. I ask Mike to remove his helmet and pose for the photograph you see at the beginning of this article and let him bumble on down the road. I see him three weeks and 2,000 miles on down the road at Carlsbad, where he volunteers to work for the AMA in order to get ideas for the Last Evel Knievel Snake River Canyon Motocross, which is also before this is written and after you read it. . . introduced Mike to my companion, Sandra, and say to her, “You remember me talking about the Uhls . . .” and Mike interrupts with “I’m the adopted one.” I am astonished to learn, and say, “I didn’t know you were adopted,” and Mike gives me that grin he’s learned so well from Herb. Punk got me again.
Back at the shop, Herb says, “It just turned out that Mike had a knack for this sort of thing. Look at this place. He’s got every accessory you can think of all laid out, and nearly every item he picks keeps moving.” I work the cash register that day to cover my room and board and learn where some of that grin comes from. A lot of Herb Uhl’s customers love doing nothing better than spending money with. Herb. His better customers get to retire into Herb’s office, take a bottle of Chianti out of the refrigerator, and tell stories for a while. A lot of funny stories get told.
Herb likes to tell about how he brought up his boys right, about how he made sure the first woman that came along with full-on charms wouldn’t snag either. At 22 and 24, Herb’s boys are wise beyond their years.
Right now Bill is settling down with a remarkable woman in her own right, Debbie. She is nine-and-a-half months pregnant when · I come to spend a few nights. She makes dinner, runs errands for the store, and never ever stops running around. Thursday she stays home weeding the garden while I mess around the shop with my Yamaha. Bill and Herb sell Mike’s parts and accessories, introduce me to chums, there’s always some party going on, except it’s mostly cash you see flowing instead of hooch. In this case, the cash is hooch.
Uhl’s shop is just an excuse for a bunch of motorbikers, many of whom don’t know one another, to stand around and talk bikes, talk women; talk talk. Every once in a while you buy something, sort of a dues for being there. Or maybe you buy something to stimulate further conversation.
At night Bill and I settle down in his nearby home to watch Star Trek on this incredibly old teevee. The picture goes flip . . . flip . . . flip every ten seconds or so, a state of perpetual horizontal flux. Of course, the teevee is more like background music while
Bill talks of how, after all, he’s been broke for a long time now, how he and Debbie went hitchhiking on their last vacation, and about the patch of land they are buying in the wilder ness. “It’s absolutely stone primitive,” says Bill. “There’s nothing. No gas, no phone, no electricity. Nothing.” Two days later we will sit on Can-Ams looking over an endless green valley. “See that?” He points. “That’s what our place is like.”
Friday morning Debbie fixes Bill his usual cup of herbs and us all a big breakfast. Since my arrival two days ago Debbie has been on the main jet. A more beautiful woman I’ve never seen. She gets’ on the phone, calls her doctor, describes her latest body signals, and tells Bill it’s time to go to the hospital and have the baby. Bill asks if I’ll help Herb with the shop, I say yes (what am I gonna do, say it’s my day off?), and proceed to put in another day at Uhl’s.
Somehow business is slower, although it’s a sunny day promising a brighter weekend. Herb asks if I’m going to stay the weekend, and I say, no, I’ve got to be back in LA first thing Monday and write literally many stories.
Herb snarls, “What do you mean, ‘you’re not staying.’ Here, I was going to take you on the nicest cow-trail you’ve ever seen and you’re going to leave. Simmer down, boy, you just got here.”
Bill Uhl, Ascot, 1969
I suggest I’ve got a woman to see. Sure enough, he backs down. Not leaving well enough alone, I say, “Be sides, who’s going to watch the store?”
This genuinely stuns Herb. He spreads out his hands. ”Now what kind of motorcycle store is it that stays open on Saturday?” He smiles, then waves out the windows. There are two other motorcycle shops within eyesight, 28 in all of Boise. “I let them have Saturdays. What good is life if you can’t go cow-trailing on weekends?”
That afternoon Bill pops in with the announcement of a new son and placed a secret-coded phone call with Lars Larsson: “It’s a funnel.” By the end of the week all the Trials riders would be saying, “Bill got his funnel, Debbie had her funnel.”
It was a joyful way to end the qualifying season, and a good way to ignore the problem of the three-way tie, a situation that has been occupying much of Bill’s time since Bad Rock.
He and Herb had already come up with a new and better scoring system for next year. They had also come up with several good ways of breaking the tie-most of them, of course, ending in Bill’s favor. Like Carl Cranke, “Bill wasn’t out to prove he is the better of the two, but more anxious to simply chose one of the three. Above all, Bill knows he’s done an incredible job for Can-Am when Can-Am has given him a bare minimum of support. Bill doesn’t want money, he needs money from Can-Am to continue racing. He wants recognition. He wants to work with a company in developing motorcycles.
Penton hadn’t given him the opportunity to be anything but a Gold Medal winning motorcycle rider. Now it looks more encouraging with Can Am, just a matter of time.
When Can-Am sent out press re leases with photos of Bill, you saw Bill wearing Gary Jones’ leathers and jerseys, sitting on Gary Jones’ bike. Today Can-Am is taking out full-page ads of Bill bragging about how reliable · the motorcycles are: “over 2500 miles of rugged . . . .”
Never mind. We get up early Saturday, fidget with three Can-Am 175s. Bill’s still has Bad Rock dirt all over it. He’s going to take his “Ram-Jet” fender off and ship it to Preston Petty for studying and maybe copying. Herb wants me to try Bill’s 175 with micro porting and clever rear suspension, and compare it to a stock Can-Am
175 motocrosser. (For the record, Bill’s motorcycle has the most outrageously flat power-band I’ve ever felt on any motorcycle, and his suspension works about as good as any LTR I’ve ever felt. No wonder he went so :fast all the time without falling down.) Bill also has his adjustable Can-Am frame raked out as far as the law allows, and I like them pretty much the opposite. It frightened me to have to lean the thing over like a road-racer.
The Uhls at their Idaho Bike Imports in Boise, Idaho, 1974
Herb decides to ride a Can-Am 175 enduro demonstrator, trials tires and all. Bill and Herb take me over bounteous country best left undescribed for the nonce. There is a lot of stopping for jive talk. Bill and Herb and Dick Malone, who rides an impeccable Hare Scrambler, know I have to be out of Boise with the noonday sun, this I’ve already explained, so I can meet my wretched bastard deadlines. And they keep me up in the hills above Boise, with the trails getting greener and funner all the time, until I was late, very late, and exhausted.
I left for Los Angeles not getting a chance to see the baby or say goodbye to Debbie, because I was late. And, of course, there were those grins again, behind the beards, taunting me as I had to leave. Shoot. Got me again, Herb. You just love to see us go back to the city.
The story of the origin of the ATV starts at Boise Idaho in 1960 where a local motorcycle dealer by the name of Herb Uhl redesigned a small 50cc Honda Cub. It had been built mainly for city transportation.
Herb redesigned it for use on mountain trails and for use on the farms and ranches that covered Idaho’s wide open spaces. As soon as he started converting Them they sold like hot cakes.
Surrounding the Boise area were thousands of acres of nearly road-less mountains and desert with very few fences. In those days you could climb on your motorcycle in town at your house and within a few minutes you could be on top of one of the foothills of the mountains next to Boise.
From there you could look out over the entire valley clear to the Owyhee Mountains to the west. Seldom did anyone in the area ride their motorcycles on the highway more than a few miles from town.
Most of the bikes were stripped down to short basic fenders & small lights and were equipped with knobby tires to get traction in the dirt. You could call them the beginning of the modern adventure bike.
That’s what it was like in 1950 when Herb Uhl moved to Idaho from Florida. Herb was a mechanic who’d started his career in a motorcycle shop several years before so he really liked motorcycles.
In Boise Herb was working in an automotive shop on automatic transmissions. There were three motorcycle shops in town at that time; Harley Davidson (Don Gamble) with a couple dirt riders, Triumph (Buzz Chaney) with a lot of fame as a racer with most of the dirt riders, and B.S.A. (Harlan Wood) just back from the service, he was the new dealer in town with a growing group of dirt riders.
Herb used to wander into the shops from time to time but no one had the kind of lightweight bike he wanted so he spent most of his spare time researching the magazines looking for his idea of a proper dirt bike.
He was working at the transmission shop one day when a customer traded in a nearly new All State motorcycle for some transmission work.
Herb’s wife Rosemary was riding the motorcycle one day when another lady in a car turned in front of her. Herb repaired the small damage To the bike and used most of the insurance money to go into the motorcycle business. That was early in 1955.
The brand he chose to handle was Maico. It was built by a German company and was better engineered than the English & American bikes that were available.
The first bikes presented by the US distributor were some surplus units that had been ordered by the Sweedish distributor who ran low on money before they could be delivered. They were perfect for Idaho dirt riders. The machines had been specially built for International off-road competition. All were light weight 250cc high performance 2-stroke machines with knobby tires, special tool kits (because in that type event the rider is required to do all their own maintenance), and even an air bottle (for refilling tires), and a four gallon fuel tank (handy on long trail rides).
It wasn’t long ‘til Nick Gray, the importer, put 10 bikes at a time with Herb on consignment, so the business moved right along. In 1959 Herb saw info in a cycle magazine about a motorcycle company called Honda who would ship bikes from Japan, so he ordered two of the off-road competition models shown in the magazine article.
Herb thought they would probably be pretty crude because the news in those days fed everyone a lot of anti-Japan propaganda. The bikes arrived in a couple of months and they were beautiful. A reorder was put in but they would only sell him production highway bikes and the factory couldn’t understand why he didn’t want them.
By 1960 Honda was opening a US branch on Sepulveda Boulevard in Los Angeles and Herb was the first US dealer to visit them.
He signed up for a regular dealership and got a few of their regular bikes to see if they would sell in Boise Idaho.
The people from Japan couldn’t fathom why Herb wanted, what to them were competition-only machines instead of bikes the public should want.
There was Herb with a bunch of bikes in stock that were designed for the city, and not for the rough country around Boise Idaho.
In the 1960s about the only way to get to any one of the numerous high mountain lakes for instance, was horses and pack animals or walking. Back yard tinkerers were putting lawn mower engines on a little rectangular framework with two small wheels, like a tiny crude scooter without suspension or shocks and a board with upholstery for a seat to try to make mountain travel a little easier.
Herb started looking at the little 50cc Honda Cub, model CA-100, from a different point of view. It had all the good stuff it takes to build an excellent all-terrain-vehicle. It was lightweight (about 140 lbs.) with 17 inch wheels like a small motorcycle for stability and the gas tank was under the seat like a scooter.
It had a great Engine a 3 speed transmission with an automatic clutch so no skill was required to ride it. There was a real seat and it sat low enough that almost everyone could touch the ground. The suspension rivaled many large motorcycles of the day with shocks and swing arm suspension both front and rear and finally it went a long way with a tank full of gas.
The first thing Herb did was order in knobby tires. While he awaited their arrival he had a large 72 tooth rear sprocket made that slipped right over and bolted to the original road sprocket to slow it down enough for trail, farm and ranch use.
Next, things were slimmed down so it would easily go between trees and rocks. A skid plate was built to protect the engine and a less bulky muffler was used. It worked really well all over the mountains around Boise.
Herb had converted and sold a couple of hundred machines when Jack McCormick national sales manager for American Honda noticed that Herb was selling more Honda Cubs than all the dealers in Los Angeles combined.
So there you have it the first ATVs had two wheels and were designed in the small town of Boise Idaho by Herb Uhl.
As soon as the other motorcycle manufacturers in Japan saw what Honda was doing they each came out with their own version of the two-wheeled ATV.
We’re all led to believe one person can’t make a difference.
Herb’s ability to think a little bit outside the box caused several hundred thousand practical fun machines to be sold all over the world. All this activity helped the Honda Cub become the largest selling vehicle ever made (over 26 million sold). A true Swiss Army knife of motorcycles.
A few years later came the 3-wheeled ATV followed closely by the 4-wheelers leading directly to today’s side by sides.
Most campers and hunters have an ATV or two, and now you see one model or another, and sometimes several on almost every farm and ranch all over the world.
The story of American Honda’s rise to prominence starts in Boise, Idaho, of all places, at a small Honda dealership that belonged to a fellow named Herb Uhl. It also involves Jack McCormack and the company’s most popular product at that time, the Honda 50. One night in 1960, while looking over the most recent sales records, McCormack spotted what he thought was an anomaly. At that time, Honda had six dealerships set up in Los Angeles, all of which were fairly successful operations. But according to the records on his desk, this one dealer in Podunk Boise was selling more 50s than all six of the L.A. dealers combined. The next morning McCormack called Uhl to investigate.
“I called Herb and said, ‘Herb, what are you doing with the Honda 50 up there that you’re selling so damn many?’ He told me how he was selling them as a trail bike, putting a cheater sprocket on the back and some knobby tires.”
McCormack asked Uhl to send one of his trail conversions down to California. Uhl did, and McCormack was impressed. “It was a brilliant little machine,” McCormack says about Uhl’s creation, “It worked so well because it was light, and with the automatic clutch you could climb logs. To do that on a big bike, you had to have a certain amount of skill.
On a 50, you didn’t get there real fast, but you had fun and you didn’t need to know much. I saw lots of possibility for something like Herb was doing, selling it as a bike that you could go in the woods and hunt or fish with. Sort of the earliest ATV.”
McCormack crated the bike back up and sent it to Japan, with a request that the company create a production version of Uhl’s creation. Honda responded to McCormack’s idea immediately. “It took no effort at all to get the trail bike,” he remembers. By March 1961 the CA100T Trail 50 was available to dealers. The new machine was an instant success. Cycle World’s praise was universal: “To you staunch, hairy-chested, full-size bike riders (and this includes us), to you trailing addicts (this also includes us), and to you new riders who have yet to experience the joys of trailing (and this includes our wives who rode the Trail 50 until they had to be pried off of it), we heartily recommend you go Trail Fiftying!” American buyers responded enthusiastically, and the trail 50, an idea hatched by a small dealer in relatively remote Idaho, was an unqualified success.
Source: Honda Motorcycles by Aaron P. Frank ISBN 0-7603-1077-7 pp 45
